Kafue weather in May

In May, Kafue sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.6 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kafue's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kafue's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
10th warmest
Overnight low
14°
4th coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:25 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
26%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.0
out of 10

Kafue is human settlement.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kafue reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 1°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12615
22615
32615
42615
52615
62614
72614
82614
92614
102614
112614
122614
132614
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192514
202513
212513
222513
232513
242513
252513
262513
272513
282513
292513
302413
312413

How May really feels in Kafue

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Kafue weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°2382512.84.1
Feb27° / 19°18021.512.54.3
Mar27° / 18°13118.712.15.2
Apr27° / 16°275.611.77.5
May25° / 14°20.611.39.0
Jun23° / 12°10.111.19.3
Jul23° / 11°10.111.29.2
Aug26° / 14°0011.59.1
Sep30° / 17°20.311.97.0
Oct32° / 20°132.912.45.2
Nov31° / 20°9113.112.74.3
Dec28° / 19°23223.612.94.2

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
2919
3919
4928
5928
6928
7937
8937
9937
10946
11946
12946
13937
14928
15928
16928
17928
18928
19928
20919
21919
22919
23919
24919
25919
269010
279010
289010
298911
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kafue gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.6 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 2% and peaks near 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
44
54
63
73
83
93
103
113
123
132
142
152
162
172
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15037121
25236111
35535100
4573490
5593380
6613270
7643060
8662950
9672850
10702640
11712540
12732430
13742330
14762220
15762220
16772120
17782110
18792010
19801910
20801910
21811810
22811810
23821710
24821710
25841600
26841600
27851500
28861400
29861400
30871300
31881200

Wind in May

Winds average 11 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of May to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 5:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:215:48
211.46:215:47
311.46:225:47
411.46:225:46
511.46:225:46
611.46:235:45
711.46:235:45
811.46:235:44
911.36:235:44
1011.36:245:44
1111.36:245:43
1211.36:245:43
1311.36:255:43
1411.36:255:42
1511.36:255:42
1611.36:255:42
1711.36:265:41
1811.26:265:41
1911.26:265:41
2011.26:275:40
2111.26:275:40
2211.26:275:40
2311.26:285:40
2411.26:285:40
2511.26:285:40
2611.26:295:39
2711.26:295:39
2811.26:295:39
2911.26:305:39
3011.16:305:39
3111.16:305:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.78 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in October across the year — May's 5.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Kafue

In seasonPeak

None of Kafue's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Kafue's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is May a good time to visit Kafue?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

9.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Kafue for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kafue in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Kafue sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kafue in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kafue peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 19UV 16Jun 23UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Kafue in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Kafue is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1037 µg/m³Dec 2112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug36Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kafue?

Kafue sits at 15.8°S, 28.2°E, 996 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Chilanga Township, 24 km away.

Topography around Kafue

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kafue.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kafue has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 242 m around an average of 1,014 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 379 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,160 m.

The land around Kafue is covered by trees (31%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, grassland (34%), shrubs (26%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (27%), trees (25%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
242 m
16 km
379 m
80 km
1,160 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
May weather nearby: Chilanga Township 24 km · Chisankane 37 km · Nampundwe 40 km · Lusaka 42 km · Namalombwe 42 km · Mazabuka 47 km · Ntandabale 49 km · Madido 51 km

Zambia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 30% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,318
2025
Happiness
4.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
5.2
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
20.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 573
Religion
Protestant 75%Roman Catholic 20%other 3%none 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kafue (-15.7691°, 28.1814°, elevation 996 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).